SD council race in full swing

The race to fill the vacant District 4 City Council seat kicked into full swing this week with the residents of southeastern San Diego asking pointed questions to eight of the nine candidates in the March 26 special election.

The largely African-American crowd at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation Wednesday night expressed frustration that their concerns about crime, jobs and beautification efforts are often ignored at City Hall and asked what the candidates were going to do about it. Others directed accusatory questions toward specific candidates.

Dwayne Crenshaw, executive director of LGBT Pride, was asked about the financial difficulties at the Coalition of Neighborhood Councils after he was fired as executive director in 2009. He responded by noting that the nonprofit, which runs education and job-training programs for at-risk youth, had $50,000 and one part-time employee when he arrived in 2005 and a $1.6 million budget and 24 employees when he departed.

“The only scandal that I know of was talked about by people who were looking for a power struggle, but my reputation is strong,” Crenshaw said. “I will always defend my honor and my family name and that’s what we did. And I’ll always defend this community’s name and reputation. I did a great job at CNC. I’m not running from it, I’m running to it because we made a difference for this community. And it hasn’t had a dollar since I left so that’s not my scandal, that’s someone else’s.”

Myrtle Cole, a home health care advocate who has amassed support from several prominent Democrat politicians, was a favorite target for pointed questions. Residents questioned her connection to the late former Councilman George Stevens (she said she worked with him on getting vendors for an education complex), whether she would support a Walmart in District 4 (no), and whether her campaign workers were referring to other candidates as “drag queen” and “fraud.”

Cole responded, “I don’t know anyone in my camp that would allow that. … I will not allow that to happen in my camp.”

Later in the forum, Crenshaw asked his fellow candidates to raise their hand if they had lived in District 4 for more than a year. All but Cole raised their hand. She recently moved to the district to run for election.

The format, set forth by moderator Voice and Viewpoint Publisher John Warren, gave the candidates 30 to 60 seconds to respond to questions. Warren repeatedly interrupted them with pointed comments. Warren also banned photography and recording devices at the public event and later told a U-T reporter, who had stopped recording the event when asked, to leave for writing in a notebook.

The only candidate on the ballot who didn’t attend the forum was teacher Blanca Lopez Brown.

Businessman Brian “Barry” Pollard emphasized his efforts to prevent the recent redistricting process from splitting the district in half and promised not to sellout the community once in office.

“It’s up to the community to hold all of the elected officials accountable,” he said. “We work for you and you have to keep reminding us of that. So when you see a City Council person that is drifting away with their own agenda. It is up to the people that put him or her in office to call us on it.”

Pastor Ray Smith said he would lead in much the same way Stevens did.

“I want to bring back a sense of pride, a sense of ownership, a sense of responsibility, a sense of dignity,” he said. “I want to bring back the self-esteem that the district had under the leadership of the late councilman.”

City Hall aide Bruce Williams said he’s spent his life fighting for safer neighborhoods and better schools and parks.

“I’m only beholden to our community’s interests and not special interests,” he said. “I’ve worked harmoniously and effectively with labor and with business and with concerned stakeholders.”

Attorney Monica Montgomery said she is running on the campaign motto “integrity, innovation, inspire.”

“I have expressed integrity in the legal field by helping homeowners in the Fourth District keep their homes, which is their most important asset,” she said.

Businessman Tony Villafranca said he hopes to bring the diverse district together and represent everyone if elected.

“(If) there’s one word that can best define me in this election it would be calling for unity in the Fourth District,” he said.

Sandy Spackman, a refugee from Laos who works for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, said she’s the best qualified candidate to bring the community together to solve issues.

“I have successfully brought communities and groups together to make significant projects in the Fourth District, including neighborhood cleanups, Southeast Asian Refugee Experience and other important events here at the Jacobs Center,” she said.

The election is needed to replace Tony Young, who resigned from the council to head up the local chapter of the American Red Cross.